Back to School 2022
by Casey Grenier
It’s time to head back to school! No doubt, you’re feeling the usual butterflies, a mix of excitement and trepidation, something that we all feel at the beginning of each new school year. There’s the promise of a new cohort of students and the joy of greeting those you’ve gotten to know over the years. There is the nervous excitement of trying out new stories, new book club selections, new lessons, and new activities. There are the bittersweet feelings of saying goodbye to our summer break, where you may have been working on your plans, professional development, or vacation goals, but at the very least you could snack and use the bathroom when you wanted. The new school year butterflies are real.
Ping Pong Balls
This year, after two of the hardest years that we’ve faced in education, those butterflies may feel more like ping pong balls. We’re hearing reports of a new contagious virus as well as variations of Covid that are still circulating. We’re in the middle of a political upheaval that has pushed education and libraries right into the middle of culture war battles. Some of us may be struggling to help our students feel connected and engaged in school after years of disruption. This year, the trepidation may feel like it is outweighing the excitement. I feel those same ping pong ball feelings that many of you are feeling.
Long-Winded Mantras
Here is what I’m telling myself, a sort of long-winded mantra if you will. What we are doing is important. Our students need us to provide them with access to books for fun and information. They deserve those important mirrors to see themselves and their own families and experiences as well as windows into the lives and perspectives of others. They need to believe that they can be the heroes of their own stories. Our students need us to stand up and be strong for those who have been and are being marginalized, silenced, and erased. We are teaching our students how to explore text, how to love reading, how to find and assess informational resources, and how to think critically. We’re also teaching them that knowledge is power. We are teaching them that they are important, respected, and loved just as they are when they walk into our schools.
Cheers to Challenges and New Opportunities
So, here’s to a new year! There will be challenges, some that we’re expecting and some coming right out of left field. There will be the usual frustrations. But, above all of that, there will be joy on a child’s face when they discover a new book series. There will be laughter during that silly read aloud story. There will be accomplishment when a student finds that piece of information that they’ve been searching for. There will be a sense of pride when our students see characters, authors, and illustrators who they can relate to. There will be love, respect, kindness, and compassion in the welcoming spaces that we create and protect. There will be butterflies and there will be ping pong balls.
Let’s get started.
Casey Grenier is the school librarian at Beach Elementary School in Calvert County, Maryland. She has been teaching virtually from her renovated basement office and finding new strengths she didn't know she had! Follow Casey on Twitter @Casey_Grenier.